Storage gasometer



Sept. 20, 1932. 1 G, VOORHEES 1,878,211

SITQRAGE GASOMETER Filed July 14. 1927 I N VEN TOR:

Patented Sept. 20, 1932 @Niro-IED;stares;

BALSIENE; Y r f VooIuIEEs,y or LoNG ISLAND` CITY, NEWY YORK, iAs'sIGNoR. To AXWELD Aon'mr-V ,LENE ooivIPAN-Y, A. oonPoRATIoNfonwEsT VIRGINIA `means ofucomp'ensating for-:variations l-in the STORAGE eAsoi/IEIER Application-fled .Tilly A14,

This. .invention relates 'to gasoniete'rsl of the typewhaving an inverted bell.` l flo ating a large extent in a buoyant liquid vtlianwhen s wit-is limi'nersedlto a less extent.v This varia? `pecially `objectionable iny gasometers used tor the storage-of. acetylene `,gfasata lowrpressure.

theyl are unsatisfactorybecause :they V require *considerable attentioniitokeep them in oper'- Vtionxinrthe':weight of. the. bell, due toits de' gree of immersionycauses a-:co-rresponding Variationin; the-'pressurev of the gas within the bell*l Thisl variation 4,in Vpressure Vis ves Pressure'freducing `Valves havetbeen used in the' :delivery "lines fromthese f gasometers to eliminate the: fluctuations finpressure Vvbut ating co-ndition.and,;because the initial pressurer must.` lbe fhigher. "than" would', 'otherwise be fnecessary:

y Therefore,ithe;L objecty of Athis" vinvention-*is a fgasometer, bellzlin'whichz. the "gas pressure r remainsl constant regardless of ,they depth i sof its immersionzdue ztouzthe. volume-of gas: with; in r-it. How.l this isV accomplished will vbe readily :apparent @from the e description" and" illustrationrtY t Y In the drawing which .isfza Vertical section of vthe invention 3 designates/an fouter` container or; tank of the: gasoineterhavinggpref# erably cylindrical, 'side' wall` :3" andv awflat gbottom 31'! Theshapeot thistankis--not esh4 sentialand'itniafy -be 1 alteredzto suit various; individual conditionsza Within, fthe f, tank 1,3 is-a'liquid 4 whichfis--pre'ferablywater thoughf' vertedebe'llal having preferably a cylindrical1j side wall lLand atoprl closing"itsupperx` endfz'` Tlie shape: of"the-asidey iwall ;may' 'bei` Y other than cylindrical and, also,u theftoplmayv bel of `other 'shapes sucht `as fconical orA spheri cal; er Pipes for e conduits 2 and. 2T convey `gas to 'andi ffromcithe v' interior f of the bellr il:4 ,v So*` A? circumferential fflangeir-L isz attached? Sto 1927. serial No'. 205,763.'`

the., insidefofnthe fbell'lv at apoint 7 near its openend and extends inward a short distance tofa :point 7"where it joins a :depending cylindrical member -6 which-[extends` downward to' a point approximately in-y line withthe lower'edge ofthebellL The-flange* `6 vand :the cylindrical member l6 together-y with the lower portion'iof the wall 14 below" thewpo'int 7 forma chamberkopenv only at fthe bottom tothewater 4.0 Due to its 'function-,it- -is called a compens-atingyv chamber and pensating. chaniberfinay Yloe made com-plete in 'itself and then joinedto belll l.y Furtherf' more, it may haveai'closed bottom with one ,Y

orfmore` openings Y, of various :sizes therein and still be within the scope of this invenf tion" a-nd. its method of operation: Ther compensating chamberf is'shown within Vthe bell` y v1 but this position.. is-not essentialfas itmayV beV either inside, outside', or both@A j Duringjtheioperation of the gasometer `the belll 1 may benearly'full of'rgas so mostof the side-,wallgl is-outfof the watent, or it may` be nearly emptyso, most ofthe `side' wall lis immersed Vin the wateren` As the pressure exertedA upong they gas within bell l is controlled by the weight of the tanlrwith theaccessories thereon Afand, as the bell has lessweight when its side wall1"is` immersed y Y inthe waterv 4, consequently, the A pressure upon the. gas isl greater when the bell is full v'liftingor-fbuoyantfeffort upon'the bell'V 1.5

When' thefbell'1is nearlyfull'of gasit is mostly `above the-surface of'the waterl' and thevehamberh 'isfthen just belowrthe surface.

Inathis"positiona'tlie pressure off-the water; y upon theairfwithin chamber isbutfay small* amountiso'itfscompressed but little. i There- E u' fore, it has its greatest volume and buoyant effort within the range of its operating movement. As gas is withdrawn' from the interior of bell 1 it gradually sinks. As it sinks a greater portion of Vits side wall isv immersed and it becomes lighter' Also, as the chamber 5 sinks the water pressure upon it becomes greater and the air within it is compressed into a smaller space. Thus, the chamber displaces less water than before and is accordingly buoyed up Vwith less force. Therefore, as the bell l sinks its side wall 1 becomes lighter and itsV compensating chamber becomes heavier, and by properly proportioning the volume of air in chamber 5 to the volume of metal in the side wall 1,V

the variation in theweight of the side wall 1 may be compensated by the opposite varia.

tion in the chamber 5.

In addition tothe air in chamber 5, there is always a certain volume of water'as designated by the numeral 9. Thisvolumeis controlled by the pressurer of the water upon the air within chamber 5. When the chamber is near the surface of the water the pressure of the water upon the air `within the chamber is butlittle. Consequently, the air is compressed Vbut a small amount and there is but a small volume of water inthe cham-v ber. When the chamber is'moredeeply submerged, the pressure of the water upon the air within thechamber is greater. Therefore, the air is compressed to a greater extent and there is a larger volume vof water within the chamber.l l

As the bell 1 is filled with gas the variable forcesl act in the opposite direction. For instance, as the side wall l emerges from the water it becomes heavier, and as the chamber 5 rises toward the surface of the water 4.- the air within it expands, due to the re'- duced pressure Vof the Ywater upon it, so it displaces more water and, consequently, becomes lighter.

In some cases thelbuoyant effect of the` chamber 5 may reduce the weight of the tank 1 so it [does not'exert suliicient pressure upon the gaswithin it. If so, a weight may be added tothe bell 1 as shown at 10.

If the position of the weight tends to make Guides of various kinds areffrequently.

used to holdthe bell 1 in a vertical position and to prevent it from` coming in contact.V with the tank 3, but they are well known in the art and are omitted from the illustration for the sake of clearness. Also gas supply and discharge may be through a plurality of conduits such as 2l and 2', and a vent pipe Y may be usedto conduct excess quantities of gas away from the tank in a manner well known in the art. These and other `changes may be madewithout altering the scope of this invention or its method of operation.

I claim:

l. In a storage gasometer, the combination of a tank adapted for holding a liquid; a bell to contain a'gas in communication only with said liquid through an openingprovided in the wall of said ,chamber below said gas i through which said liquid compresses said..

gas and varies its buoyanteffect on said bell according to its degree of immersion.V

2. In a storage gasometer, the combination of a tank adapted for holding Va liquid;

a bell adapted for partial immersion in said( liquid and also for containing a gas upon which said bell exerts a pressure; said gasometer being provided'V with suitable means including gas inlet and outlet conduits for varying the Vquantity of gas within said bell and thereby its degree of immersion; and an annular chamber connected to said bell and Y adapted to contain a gas in communication only with said liquid through anV opening provided in the wall of said chamberbelow the portion occupied by said gas aiid'through which: said liquid compresses said 1 gas and variesV its buoyant ettect'on said bell accord- .Y

ing to its'degree ofiinmersion.

.3. In a storage gasometer.Y having va tank,

a liquid in said tank and a bell partially immersed in said liquid; a compensator attached to said bell fand comprising a` submerged chamber adapted to contain a gas and having an opening therein below said gas and in communication only with said liquid byrwhich said gas is compressed so its buoyancy is reduced as the depth'of immersion of said compensator is increased. Y l

4. In a storage gasometer, the combination of a tank adapted forholding a liquid; a' bell adapted for partial immersion in said liquid and-also for containing a gas upon which said bell exerts a pressure; -a weight' on top of said bell; said gasometer being provided iio with suitable means including'separate gas`V inlet and outlet conduits for, varying thev quantity of gas within saidbell 'and thereby i through an opening in the wall of said chamits .degree ofv immersion; and a chamber lo cated within said 4bell and having a wall',

ber below the portion'thereof occupied by said gas. f 5. In a storage gasometer having a tank; .a liquid in saidtank; a bell partially iminersed in said liquid; and a compensator atn tached to said bell comprising an annular chamber submerged in said liquid, adapted to containa gas, and having an opening therein below said gas in communication only with said liquid by Which the degree of compression of said gas is Varied by the depth of immersion to vary the buoyancy of said compensator.

In testimony whereof, I axmy signature.

LEE Gr. VOORHEES.

CERTEECATE GF CORREGTON.

Patent No. 1,878,211. September 20, 1932.

LEE G. VRHEES.

lt is hereby certified that the name o the assignee in the above numbered ously written and printed as "Axvveld Acetylene Company",

whereas said name should have been written and printed as Oxweld. Acetylene Company, as shown by the records oi assignments in this otiiee; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the oase in the Patent Oiiiee.

Signed and sealed this 29th day o November, A. D. 1932.

patent was errone M. J. Moore,

Acting Commissioner of Patents.

(Seal) 

